A beautifully written episode with a strong conservation message.
In lyrical free verse, nature-writer London gives readers a tiny peek into the lives of a Siberian tiger cub and his mother.
“A river in its icy bed / mumbles in its sleep. / The wooded hills and ridges / sparkle with snow. / Shaggy and frost-tipped, / the tigress and her cub / slip like shadows into a forest / of bone-white birches.” As Spirin’s artwork gets darker and takes on the blue-gray of night, the Striped One hides little Amba under a fallen tree so she can hunt the sika deer in the clearing. But as she is crouched to pounce, the forest erupts into flames, and all the animals flee. All night the mother searches for and calls her cub, but his cry can only be heard with the calming of the wind and fire. Spirin’s watercolor, pastel and gouache artwork neatly complements the images painted in London’s text. Only twice does he anthropomorphize the expressions on the tigers’ faces. The forest fire, though obviously a threat to the forest dwellers, is not vividly portrayed, so readers are unlikely to be to frightened. An author’s note provides more information about endangered Siberian tigers, including the threats to their survival.
A beautifully written episode with a strong conservation message. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: May 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-7614-6130-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish
Review Posted Online: March 13, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Utterly charming, and informative, to boot; readers brought up on a diet of rhymes, bright colors and adorable fluffy...
A young child enjoying a full day of cross-country skiing narrates this gentle tale, explaining both her own activities and what the animals are doing.
“Over the snow I glide, past beech trees rattling leftover leaves and strong, silent pines that stretch to the sky. On a high branch, a great horned owl keeps watch. Under the snow, a tiny shrew dodges columns of ice; it follows a cool tunnel along the moss, out of sight.” A deer, bullfrogs, beavers, a fox, mice, chipmunks, a bear and a bumblebee are among the other animal inhabitants of the “secret kingdom” under the snow; some are snoozing, some foraging and some hunting for the others. Backmatter includes an author’s note, a paragraph of information about each featured animal and a list for further reading. Neal’s two-dimensional mixed-media illustrations are minimal in both detail and color. Simple outlines give shape to the trees, animals and leaves, while white is the predominant color. The lyrical descriptions of the text and the gray/brown/ice-blue palette of the illustrations leave readers with a retro feel that harkens back to earlier days of children’s books and bygone times when life seemed simpler.
Utterly charming, and informative, to boot; readers brought up on a diet of rhymes, bright colors and adorable fluffy animals will find its simple beauty a balm. (Informational picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-8118-6784-9
Page Count: 44
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A laugh-out-loud tale that also fosters respect for nature.
Bird gives Squirrel a lesson in spring and the flowers that come with it.
Everyone’s favorite overly possessive squirrel, introduced in The Leaf Thief (2021), returns for a new seasonal tale. Happy to see the leaves back on their tree, Squirrel is surprised by odd sounds. Then a strange bird flies at Squirrel’s head. Squirrel runs to their friend Bird, who has all the answers: Those noises were a cuckoo’s call and a bumblebee, and the bird was a swallow—all are signs of spring. The duo discover a tiny yellow flower, which Bird says is another sign of spring. Squirrel asserts possession (of course) and proceeds to try to protect it. Squirrel wants to keep it from getting wet, but Bird explains the flower needs the rain. Squirrel tries to safeguard the flower from the bees until Bird says that bees help flowers. After Squirrel’s attempt to keep the flower safe under a bucket nearly kills it, Bird persuades Squirrel to leave the flower be…and the next morning, they wake to a wonderful surprise. Hemming’s naïve squirrel and sage bird team up again for a giggle-inducing lesson about the natural world, brought to life by Slater’s energetic, bright, digitally created art, featuring endearing, big-eyed characters. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A laugh-out-loud tale that also fosters respect for nature. (flower facts) (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 28, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-72827-136-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
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